A £55,000 grant has been awarded from the East Lindsey Investment Fund (ELIF) towards the creation of a bespoke multi-agency hub in Mablethorpe to support coastal safety.
The hub will join together a wide range of services, such as His Majesty’s Coastguard, lifeboats and lifeguards (RNLI), National Coastwatch Institution, Natural England plus both county and district councils, to enhance how they tackle key issues under the banner of the Atlantis Alliance.
The multi-agency hub, which has been given planning permission for a space at Queen’s Park Beach Huts, will provide a strong and visible presence for emergency, safeguarding and policing authorities on the coast, providing reassurance to locals, visitors and businesses.
The idea was put forward by Lincolnshire Police, and the hub will be managed by Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council while National Coastwatch Mablethorpe will oversee the building’s maintenance.
By providing this designated facility, organisations will be able to gather, provide information to visitors, act as a base for first aid and store awareness literature and digital displays.
Work is already under way to create the new hub which will continue to be utilised in the off-season period as an emergency planning response centre and also for engagement, awareness and training.
Councillor Steve Kirk, portfolio holder for the coastal economy, and councillor Adam Grist, portfolio holder for market towns and the rural economy, said: “Each year, between three and four million visitors make the trip to the coast in our area, particularly Skegness and Mablethorpe, which presents a unique challenge for our support services.
“The increased number of tourists and tourism related activities adds pressure on the rescue and emergency services which we know can also negatively impact our residents and businesses.
“Being able to provide support for the services to work together and offer an enhanced and more cohesive response to issues they face on a daily basis, from beach safety and missing people to crime prevention and fire safety, is really important to us.
“ELIF was created for this very purpose, to make our district more welcoming through initiatives such as the Atlantis Alliance and the enhanced experience that offers to visitors, residents and businesses.
“This helps us to promote a safe and sustainable visitor experience for all holiday makers who visit the coast of Skegness and Mablethorpe. In turn, this will encourage spending in the local economy and will help to support thousands of jobs.”
A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said: “The seven agencies which make up the Atlantis Alliance are serving more than 28 miles of East Lincolnshire coastline, and places community engagement at the heart of its mission.
“This new hub will enable to Atlantis Alliance to continue to build on past successes and further strengthen our efforts to engage with, and safeguard, our residents and visitors.”
Fairfield Academy principal, Katie McGuire, said: “The David Ross Education Trust is delighted to be partnering with the local authority to provide bespoke provision for children that need something additional to the mainstream offer for education.
“We are looking forward to transitioning our new pupils into Fairfield Academy; we feel strongly that all children should have the opportunity to come to a setting that fully meets their needs.”
Emerald Hub lead, teacher and SENCO, Lucianna Ashton-Smith, added: “We know that there is a need in our local community for resource-based provision and the Emerald Hub will meet this need, enabling many pupils to attend a school in their community and still have their needs met. It’s a great privilege to lead on this new venture.”
The work on site is being carried out by Topcon Building Ltd, working with North East Lincolnshire Council.
